Alternate Appearances
by MissBiankadonk
Summary: Dominique's heart stopped when she looked into the piece of glass. She wasn’t looking at her beautiful youthful face but a face of a mouse... full summary inside.
1. This Isn't Child's Play

**Summary: **Two of the most brilliant minds from France were invited to London for a science exhibition to show off their greatest goal, teleportation. But the jealousy of a certain person forces Dominique to make the worst decision of her life, destroying her own invention. Though she didn't expect the consequences and for that she might not ever see her fellow human beings again but gain a new life.

**Dislcaimer: **I do not own the character of The Great Mouse Detective though I do own Dominque LaFleur.

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_Chapter 1 – This Isn't Child's Play_

The rocking of the train kept Dominique from falling asleep. The plain green landscapes of England's countryside weren't exciting enough to keep anyone awake. The constant jerking of the cart kept her alert. Her mismatched eyes wondered around the cart to fall upon her father who was out cold and snoring. Some people had all the luck.

The scenery was finally changing. Small country houses surrounded by huge fields could be seen in the distance. They would be arriving in London very shortly and it was about time. An eight hour train ride wasn't very pleasant and it didn't help that they were on a twelve hour ferry ride over the English Channel.

The bright sun of London woke her up when she finally set foot on solid ground at the train station. There were hundreds of people running around, heading to the carts and waiting for trains to arrive. Dominique's father had already run off to check in their load which was in the last cart.

"Dominique," his voice echoed. "Ici! Over here."

The young lady turned around to see her father waving her over to a coach on the other side of the station. She picked up her parasol and quickly walked over to join him. On her way, her eyes couldn't help but wonder to the sights around her. It actually was her first time in England and everything seemed so different. She figured everything would be written in English and she studied hard to make sure she learned it to perfection.

Professor LaFleur, her father, was in London for the beginning of the 20th century science exhibition. He believed he had created a machine that would change transportation forever. His forty years of experimentations had finally gotten him an invitation to Great Britain and he was quite proud of it. He was also very proud to say that his daughter did help with preparations and some of the engineering.

"Where are we going Papa?" she was practicing her English.

"We are going to an old house of mine," he leaned over and told the caddie the exact address.

His daughter's fair freckled face was practically stuck to the window of the carriage. Her honey and emerald eyes moved from one thing to the next. The Professor could remember when he was that age. It may have been a long time ago but those were the best years of his life. It was when he was going through his science education and when he met his love.

The elderly man was off in his own world when the carriage suddenly thrust to one side. There were dozens of screams coming from all around but the cracking of wood over powered them all. Dominique was slowly being pulled out of the crashed carriage and placed on the walkway. She was so confused about what had just happened only a few moments before.

"Qu'est qui se passé?" she looked around franticly. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he looked around at the accident.

The professor always thought Londoners were the most crazy and dangerous drivers in all of Europe. Before anyone else knew, the professor, the driver and the other passengers were arguing about whose fault it was. Their voices were even louder than the accident itself and they were causing quite a commotion in the streets.

Dominique slowly stood up once she had collected her thoughts. Her eyes leisurely wondered around the streets and they quickly noticed a black figure fleeing into one of the alleys. No one else seemed to have noticed this so she quickly discarded it and walked over to the coach. She reached into the broken compartment and pulled out her parasol and a small cage that was thankfully unharmed.

Inside the small metal cage was a small furry creature that was no larger than her palm. The little mouse had been her pet for a few years and he was a big part in their science presentation. He was the lucky mouse that was going to be transported from one end of the room to the other in matter of seconds.

"Dominique," he father called. "On va maintenant."

"Oui Papa! I'm coming."

Apparently their temporary residence was not far from their little carriage accident. It was quite comfortable looking even if it was identical to all the others on the street. The family noticed right away that most of London was quite petite or compacted compared to their home back in France. They lived on a farm in the open country but only a ten minute carriage ride to the nearest city.

The professor hung up his cloak and rushed over to his life's work which was placed in the living room. He rapidly ripped off the cloth that was covering it and inspected to see if anything was damaged. The young lady smiled at her father as she made her way up the stairs with her luggage in her hand. She didn't bring much with her, only a few fancy dresses, her lab coat and some necessities.

Dominique smiled as she watched her little pet mouse clean its fur and burrow itself a little bed to sleep in. There were loud clashes coming from down stairs and they were shortly followed by swearing. They seemed to be angrier and louder than usual. She put down her books and quickly made her way back to the living room.

"Is everything alright?" her accent was very thick.

"It was damaged!" he yelled with frustration. "The wiring has been damaged along with a few other things."

"Can you fix it?"

"Oui ma chère."

He immediately pulled out a large metal box that was filled with various tools. His hand reached for the wrench and he began to fix his machine. The brunette was constantly looking over his shoulder and handing him tools. She had to make sure he was doing it right. The work was very hard and it took a lot of energy for such little progress. Once and a while, they would switch and share the repair work.

It was late afternoon when all the maintenance was finally complete. The professor was setting up the generator to test if everything was hooked up properly. It was quite a big machine. There were two stations which the object would go in and hopefully come out. Most of the appearance was wiring and metal tubes but it did look advanced for its time.

"Ready?" the elderly man looked over his shoulder.

"Prêt!"

Dominique walked over to the closest port and placed her little pet mouse down in the center of the panel. The rodent seemed to be quite lost but he stayed in the same place as he looked around. The two scientists stepped back as they slipped on their safety goggles. The young lady did the honours of pulling the lever that would start up the whole experiment.

A wide smile crossed both their faces as they witnessed the mouse disappearing with a flash of light. Their hopes were high as ever until they saw one of the more important plugs begin to spark. After a few moments more than one began to spark. The machine was slowly breaking down. Her father ran up and tried to quickly repair it but it was no use. The young lady screamed as she was blinded by a bright light and a small explosion followed.

Light headedness was over whelming once she opened her eyes. It took a few moments for her to remember what had happened before she blacked out. Before she knew it there was a loud knock on the door and it woke her up. She slowly walked over to the door and opened it but no one was there. Her eyes wondered and she quickly noticed the auburn brick at her doorstep. She picked up the brick and saw a white piece of paper attached to it.

_Go home now and your lives will be spared._

Dominique didn't need to be English to know what the note meant and it was written in such familiar writing too. She rushed inside and panic flowed into her body. Her father was no where to be seen. The only thing of his was the white lab and goggles. She walked over to pick up the coat when her eyes came across his clothes as well. Everything he was wearing before was in her hands. None of this was making sense to her; the machine going haywire, the blackout, the note and now her father disappearing. It was all too much.

"Papa," she said to herself. "Qu'est qui se passé?"

A whole day passed before the young brunette could think properly. She had spent most of her time trying to fix the machine for the exhibition and to figure out who could have sent the note. A few of the officials from the exhibition had come by to pick up their entry and bring it the hall. She had decided to accompany them to make sure the machine wouldn't be damage in any way possible.

"Is everything alright Miss?" one of the officials tried to made small talk with her.

"Everything is fine," she looked out the window.

"Where is your father? That is if you don't mind me asking?"

"He is out but he will be there tomorrow."

Their conversation quickly ended and the man pulled out the newspaper from under his arm. Dominique couldn't help but glance over and try to read the parts she could. One of the articles on the front page immediately caught her attention. _Holmes Solves Another Disappearance_. She grabbed the newspaper and attempted to read the rest of the article.

"Pardon me Miss?" he said rudely.

"Who is this?" she pointed to the picture.

"That man is the very talented detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," he said proudly. "He is very well known for solving mysterious cases around London."

"Where can I find him?" she demanded.

It actually wasn't like her to be so rude around men but she was desperate to find help. The man looked outside to figure out where in London he was so he could try to help the young lady. He suddenly turned around and demanded the driver to stop. Dominique looked at him as he pointed out the window to the street to their left.

Only one of the houses on the street seemed to be occupied by a residence and it was the house the young lady was looking for. A lovely lullaby being played on the violin could be heard from outside and it was quite inviting. She collected her thoughts before knocking on the door. The lovely song immediately stopped and a pair of footsteps quickly become lowder. The door slowly opened to reveal a short round man who seemed to be over forty.

"Yes… oh," he was shocked to see the young lady. "May I help you Miss?"

"Is Sherlock Holmes here?" her accent was more noticeable. "I need help."

"Come right in."

The house was quite appealing despite the appearance from the outside. There were many books and decorations that weren't from England. There was a blazing fire in the hearth and two comfortable chairs near by. The man gestured for her to sit down and she gladly did. For some odd reason she already felt safe in the house and a whole lot of stress was lifted from her shoulders.

"Who was it Watson?" a voice from upstairs echoed.

"You'd best come down here and see for yourself."

Dominique looked up when she heard the creaking of the wood. A man in about his thirties dressed in comfortable crimson robes strode down the stairs. He was quite handsome and well groomed. He was obviously of high class and very well educated. The brunette stood up but didn't know what to say and he was clearly waiting for her to explain her situation. Within the silence, he had taken out a wood pipe and began to smoke it. She guessed this man was Sherlock Holmes.

"What seems to be the problem?" he looked at her.

"Mon père," she spoke up. "He has disappeared without a word."

"Your French?" he quickly came to the conclusion.

"Oui?"

"Mmm…" he blew a puff of smoke. "Please sit down and tell me everything… in French."

She immediately began to tell her story. She was quite comfortable talking to him in her own language and he seemed to understand everything perfectly. She couldn't say the same to his partner. It felt great for someone to actually know what she was talking about. After her long story there were a few moments of silent before the man stood up to think. Before she forgot, she pulled out the note and handed it to him.

"What is this?" he looked at the paper. "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me on a brick." He examined the paper carefully and compared it to another he pulled out of his pocket.

"Watson we have our lead!" he exclaimed.

"Quoi?"

The two men were running around the room preparing to leave. They seemed to know what they were doing and she was quite happy about that. Holmes was just about to open the door to leave when his partner cleared his throat. He turned around and noticed the lady was still standing in their living room.

"Don't worry Miss," he said proudly. "Your father is as good as found."

The door swung open and gunshots immediately began to fire. The two men and the girl fell to the ground for cover. As soon as the last gunshot was heard, both the men were on their feet and heading out the door. Holmes had shouted after the men that were shooting at them. Dominique was left alone with another note written in the same familiar writing.

_The end is near._

Her heart raced as she held the note in her palm and ran down the street. She didn't know where to go or who to turn too. So she wondered around the streets in high hopes to find the hall where the exhibition was being held. After a few hours she finally found the hall and it was a great relief.

It didn't take her long to find the area where the officials had put her machine. One look at it and she knew there were a few things she had to fix before everyone came. Her little mouse was in its cage eating away a large piece of cheese she had given him before she dropped him off. Before she could think of anything else she started to repair of few of the plugs as the mouse wondered on the panel.

"Well you are up early," said a familiar voice.

Dominique turned around to see a young, handsome man standing a few feet away from her. It had been a while since she had seen that face and she was quite happy to see it. James Gagnon was an old classmate of hers back when she was at university. They were a couple once but that was before he moved away to excel into the sciences in England.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," he smiled. "I see you are quite successful."

"Not at the moment," she spoke to him in French. "Things haven't been going well since I've gotten here."

"Having trouble with your experiment," he raised one eyebrow.

"Not just that James," she sighed and put down her tools. "Weird events have been happening to me. I'd rather not talk about it."

She stood up straight and fixed her dress to look a little more proper. For some reason she felt a little awkward around her old friend. It might have been over five years since they had last spoken but it just didn't feel right. She turned around for a few moments to put away the tools she had used when she felt a warm hand on her back. She immediately turned around to face James.

"You have become quite beautiful over the years," he pushed away a few hairs from her face. "Too bad it's going to be wasted."

"What?"

Her thoughts stopped dead when she felt the cold metal of a revolver against her temple. Her eyes widened as the gun came into her view. Now the notes made sense. He was the one who had written them but why? Why would he want her father and her dead? It just didn't make sense unless…

"You looked puzzled," he pushed her into the machine. "Is everything going a little too fast for you? For someone who claims to be very smart you sure are pretty slow."

"Why are you doing this?" her hands were trembling.

"Isn't it obvious?" he looked into her eyes. "For too long you have stolen the lime light from me and my father. But tomorrow, I shall be the one being glorified for creating teleportation." He laughed. "And no one will be there to stop me."

He was just about to pull the trigger when Dominique turned on the machine behind her. The mouse on the panel suddenly disappeared and the machine began to break apart like the day before. Sparks began to fly out of the plugs and she braced herself for the explosion that followed. She could feel the heat on her back and it was burning. Suddenly her body was thrust forward and she was knocked out.

Once again she woke up overwhelmed. It was a feeling that she could never get used to. Her eyes took a little while to focus on the area around her. She rubbed her eyes harder when she saw her machine in front of her but a hundred times bigger. Her head wiped around and she noticed that everything was much bigger. Her eyes caught sight of a piece of glass nearby and she reached to grab it. Her heart stopped when she looked into the glass. She wasn't looking at her beautiful youthful face but a face of a mouse.


	2. New Beginnings

_Chapter 2 – New Beginnings_

It must have been a joke or some kind of bad dream. How could she have been changed into a mouse? It was impossible. The events that had just taken place before didn't match together. Dominique just wished it was a very bad dream and that she would be waking up any moment. Tears began to build up in her eyes and she was about to cry away all her worries.

"What have you done to me?" a voice roared.

She immediately turned around to see a large rat, it was clearly five times bigger than her, standing only a little ways away from her. In horror she realized who it was. The machine not only changed her into a mouse but also James into a giant rat. His large claws and muscular figure was truly frightening. Rage could be seen in his large eyes and he stepped closer to her.

"What have you-"

"I don't know!" she yelled in fear. "I didn't know this would happen."

"Than the machine is defected," he was enraged. "Look at what your machine has done to me!"

In one swift moment the rat had the little mouse's neck in his claws. Her feet were jiggling in the air and her paws were trying to pry away the claw that was cutting off her air supply. The girl could feel her body slowly shutting down. Her eyes slowly beginning to close and her body was giving up.

Suddenly, her lungs were full of air and she was sprawled out on the floor. She quickly sat up and was shocked to see James cowering beside another mouse that was half his size. The mouse quickly walked over and helped her to her feet. His grey coat seemed very familiar as if she had met him before.

"Come with me, Miss Dominique," he squeaked in French.

"How do you know my name?"

"Everything will be explained soon," he looked over his shoulder. "We must move before he walks up again."

The mouse grabbed her hand and they began to run towards the other side of the room. Dominique had the habit of glancing over her shoulder. Too many thoughts were rushing through her head and being turned into a mouse didn't help at all. The mouse let go of her hand and began to examine the wall. She nervously looked around to make sure James wasn't close behind.

"Here Miss Dominique."

She turned around to see that the mouse had opened a little hatch in the wall. She quickly hopped over and grabbed his paw. The path was quite dark but she managed to see a faint silver outline of the mouse in front of her. They had stopped for a short while to get their bearings straight. The young lady still had a sense of uneasiness growing in her stomach and she hated it when they stopped moving.

They were just about to depart when Dominique felt a horrible warmth slowly moving towards her and she dared not turn around. The horrors that were building up in the back of her mind were flowing in front of her eyes. Then the unthinkable happened. Her momentary horrors were slowly coming to pass.

"Thought you could escape?" a voice whispered into her ear.

"No!"

The grey mouse turned around and he could see the giant rat that was standing right behind his friend. The rat had his claws up in the air ready to attack. He pulled her away just in time and yanked her down the right path. The rat's roar echoed through the narrow hall and the sound actually hurt her ears. Footsteps quickly followed and their pace was quickening.

"You will never escape Dominique," his voice echoed. "I will find you not matter what."

Dominique turned her head around just in time to see another portal open. This time it lead to the streets of London. Everything seemed very different from where she was. The view had changed since she had gotten smaller. A carriage was just about to pass them and the mouse lightly tugged on her arm gesturing that they would be jumping onto it. Within a few moments they jumped onto the carriage and a sigh of relief escaped their mouths. They sat opposite each other and Dominique finally got a good look at the mouse.

"Have I met you before?" she spoke up.

"Our first meeting was two years ago in the streets of Paris," he said proudly.

"But that's impossible. You're a mouse."

"Yes and you are my master, Miss Dominique."

"Mr. Fromage?" she looked at him. "My pet mouse?"

"Please call me Anatole," he fixed his fur around his face.

"This is all too much for me," she shook her head. "This is all just a bad dream."

"Sadly, it isn't," the carriage stopped and he looked up. "This is our stop."

The two little mice jumped off onto the walkway. They had stopped on the corner of a street but they headed a little further down. There was an abandoned toyshop down the lane and the grey mouse went to open the door. He quickly pulled her into the shop and slammed the door. The little room was quite run down and it was noticeable that no one had lived there for more then a year. Anatole had walked off into another room and Dominique took the time to look around.

She had found a small mirror in the corner of the room and it took her quite a while to actually look at herself. Her fur was the same color as her human hair was, chestnut, and her actually hair was just a little darker. Her eyes still kept their natural brilliance and hue, emerald and honey. The door suddenly opened and the grey mouse strode back into the room with a green dress in his paws. He walked over and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she felt the dress.

"Your clothing," he raised and eyebrow. "You best wear it."

She immediately agreed and put on the dress. The English fashion was quite modern and different compared to the fashion of the French countryside. She had to admit that the dress was fitting and quite complimenting. Anatole then gestured for her to follow him into the next room. He had something very important to show her.

It was a little hard to see where she was going since the lights were dimmed but her eyes adjusted within a few moments. In the room there was a small bed and it seemed to be occupied by an elderly looking mouse. He had the same colored fur as her but his hair had grey in it. She didn't recognize the mouse at first but she was quite glad she did. Tears began to form in her eyes as she knelt down beside the bed and took the mouse's hand. It was cold, clammy and sickly.

"Papa," she whispered. "Oh Papa."

"Dominique," his eyes slowly opened. "Is that you?"

"Yes I am here with you right now. You don't have to worry."

"Everything went wrong," he coughed. "It was a huge mistake."

"Don't say that," she squeezed his hand. "We can build it anew and go back."

"Don't be ridiculous," he coughed harder. "It's impossible to go back."

Dominique was just about to fight back when the coughing became worse. The grey mouse stepped in to help and shooed the girl away. She couldn't believe what was happening to her father. He was extremely healthy before he was suddenly changed into a mouse. She stayed in the entrance of the abandoned toyshop and waited to hear from beyond the door. It slowly opened and the mouse immerged. He looked quite puzzled and sullen at the same time.

"Will he be alright?" she immediately demanded.

"He will recover but it will take time."

"That's a relief," she sighed.

"I suggest while you are here," he cleared his throat, "that you might want to find a job. You know, to keep yourself occupied."

"Where do you think I could work," she gave him a sour look. "I can hardly speak English."

"Have more confidence in yourself," he placed both his hands on her shoulders. "I will help you. Tomorrow we shall go out. At the same time I must see my cousin. He lives in these parts and it's been a while since I've seen him."

With that last vow of confidence, Dominique went off to find a comfortable place to sleep. She was quite successful in finding a little girl's room that seemed to be untouched. There were numerous toys on the floor and stored on the shelves. There was a cute little canopy bed in the middle of the room and it was still made. She walked over and sat down on the single bed.

She wondered if this was a normal little mouse's room. Her room, when she was younger, was never filled with toys like the ones she was looking at. She actually never remembered playing with toys that weren't related with science. A sigh escaped her lips and she finally laid down to get a long deserved rest.

It was a late wake up for everyone but they were well rested. Dominique had tried her best to look somewhat decent with what little she had. Anatole was dressed in casual wear of the London streets. He handed a parasol and escorted her out of the door. The sun was high in the sky but it was leaning towards the western skies. There were a few more couples walking in the streets. They seemed to be quite friendly.

"Alright Dominique," the grey mouse spoke up. "We will be heading to the upper class area. You will try to find a job at one of the theatres and I will find a better place to live."

"The theatre?" she was shocked. "I have never acted before."

"Can you sing? Can you dance?"

The mouse nudged her towards one of the theatres and quickly walked off. The young lady mouse was stuck alone to find out if she was good at singing and dancing. She had done some ballet when she about six years old but quit after two years because it was boring. As soon as she opened the door she could hear the music and the voices of the mice.

She could feel her face heating up from being so nervous. Mice were running everywhere; some were carrying costumes, materials and items used on stage. Dominique had run into about a dozen people and she tried to apologize but they just grumbled. She looked quite lost when she ran into a mouse that was dressed quite formally.

"Je m'excuse," she looked up.

"I don't have time for this. We are short four dancers," he arm went up into the air. He paused and looked down at the confused girl. "Are you new here?"

"Je suis," she stopped and attempted to speak English. "I am looking for a job."

"You are?" his look of worry had disappeared rather quickly.

"Oui," her eyes light up.

"Do you have any experience in dancing or singing?"

"Dancing," she did a small pirouette. "Ballet?"

"Perfect!" he seemed really please. "Come with me."

The formal looking mouse seemed to be the director of the entire theatre. Many of the lady mice had waved to him and blew him kisses. He simple nodded and continued on his way. He had stridden onto the stage and stopped the rehearsal completely but no one seemed mad at him. Dominique shyly followed him and tried not to look at the other mice. He turned around and gestured towards the middle of the stage.

"Could you please perform something, Mademoiselle," he looked at her.

"Oui Monsieur."

There was a slight tightness in her chest and her heartbeat was rising. It had been a while since she had been in front of a crowd. A little smile crossed her face and she began to remember her teacher telling her all those years ago her routine for the recital. She was a little rusty and not in the right close but the director seemed to be impressed with her little presentation. She stopped and bowed.

"Bravo," he said softly. "When could you start?"

"Anytime," her smile became wider.

"You will stay at the theatre until the production is over. I would say three months. Will that be alright for you?"

"Parfait!"

Anatole was walking down the road in search for his mouse friend. In the back of his mind he wasn't expecting her to get a job in any of the theatres but he had hope. London was known for their theatre and they would only take the best to show off their talents in the arts. A few of the ladies had smiled at him when he was waiting in the square where they said they would meet.

"Anatole!" she waved to him.

"How did it go?" he was anxious to hear the news.

"I talked to the director," she smiled. "I will be a dancer in the chorus starting tomorrow at the Royal Theatre."

"I knew you could do it!" he winked. "It's my cousin's favorite theatre you know. He goes there when he's not on a case."

"So did you meet with your cousin? Who is he?"

"You might meet him soon. He might come to the opening night."

Dominique took out her parasol and continued to walk down the street. Her future seemed to be bright through her eyes. She was going to forget about her transformation and James. She and her father were going to build a new life together in the mouse kingdom.


	3. Opening Disaster

_Chapter 3 – Opening Disaster_

The bright sun had risen every single day since the beginning of the production. It was hard at times for the actors to stay calm during rehearsals because they were eager to go outside afterward. Dominique was one of the few dancers who enjoyed staying inside. Around that time of the year it was quite cold and she wasn't used to London's weather just yet.

Her father's health had gotten better since they had moved. During the day he would make numerous blue prints to rebuild the machine to change them back. Their living room was full of papers and scraps of papers. The young mouse had given up on the thought of going back but her father was quite determined. His newfound determination made her fee a little bad about thinking of staying as a mouse.

Rehearsal was almost over and Dominique's heart was jumping with joy. The director gave the dancers a night off before the last day of practice. The young mouse had plans with her father to go out for dinner. Anatole was going to join them with his cousin. He had been quite free lately and decided to join them. She dressed in her finest clothing that was an amazing hue of green. She put on her hat, checked herself in the mirror and headed out.

The weather was quite amazing for December. The holidays would be coming around in a few weeks and the sun was shining bright. Dominique was walking along the river Thymes with her father holding her arm. Their grey friend was not too far ahead of them trying to find out where they should go next. She glanced over at her father for a brief moment. The brilliance in his eyes had returned and he was more active, though at times he had tremendous coughing fits.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Dominique laughed. Her English had improved over the months.

"Of course I do!" he paused. "I just don't remember that being there or even that bridge."

Dominique couldn't help it. She had to smile at him. Anatole had the chance two months ago to head back to France to be with his family but he decided to stay. He said he'd rather be where all the commotion was and know what's going on. They stopped for a short rest and to watch the world around them. The young lady helped her father onto a piece of wood and she joined him.

"So Anatole," she pushed away a few locks of hair. "Why couldn't your cousin join us? I really would like to meet him."

"A case suddenly jumped on him," he scratched his head. "It's weird. It had been quite until a few weeks ago; mischief is roaming the streets of London.

"What kind?" she was quite interested.

"He only told me quickly but according to him, there is a rat roaming about that is building a crew of miscreants that are planning something evil."

She paused for a moment and thought, a rat. She immediately thought of James. It was only two months ago that he'd threatened to do anything to find her. It had been very quite since then. Her worries suddenly began to collect again and she placed one hand on her neck. The memory of that night was so vivid; at times she could feel his strong claw around her throat. Anatole turned around and suddenly remembered where he was. A cheerful smile crossed his face and he began to walk down the lane.

The day was growing older and the streets were becoming more deserted. The nightlife would be coming alive and that was the cue for some people to head home. The less civilized mice would party all night and sleep all day. Lately, the nightlife had been very silent and calm but very busy at the same time.

"I will see you opening night," she kissed her father's cheek.

"I will be in the front row."

"Thank you Anatole for the wonderful day."

"I can't wait to see the performance," he smiled. "My cousin shall be attending. You will finally meet him."

Dominique smiled as she waved them off. The sun was setting and it was casting colorful hues on the streets. There were a few humans roaming the streets and she admired them from where she was standing. She had never wished to much to go back at that very moment. Her life at the moment was rather agreeable and interesting. It wouldn't be a right for her to go back. She sighed and headed into the theatre.

There was a roaring fire in the hearth and there was a fresh batch of cheese crumpets on the side table. It was late in the afternoon but time was moving so slowly. The sound of a nice flowing violin was echoing through the house. The music was coming from a mouse sitting on a large red chair near the fireplace. An elderly mouse was sitting in the opposite chair reading the newspaper and enjoying the melody.

"Basil?" the mouse spoke up. "When should we leave for the-?"

"Not now Dawson. Can't you see I'm busy?"

The music suddenly stopped and the mouse stood up. Dawson knew quite well not to disturb him when he was playing the violin. Lately, their case hadn't been going as planned and Basil was becoming sullen because of it. There were close once to catching their culprit but he suddenly disappeared, thought that was a few weeks ago. It had been quiet since then.

Basil began to pace around the room with his violin in hand. During his entire career as a detective this had been the most annoying case yet. The clues that he had found were so vague and could point to anything that was suspected, even the dead. Every time he thought about it he would get chills down his spine. He was hoping the culprit behind this case wasn't his late enemy coming back from the dead to haunt him.

"Dawson," he suddenly said, putting down his violin. "This case is rather tricky. Anything could mean everything. It's….it's…. IT'S…"

"Basil," he looked through his spectacles. "A night off from the case will clear your mind. You could start fresh tomorrow."

"Maybe you're right," he fixed his hair. "We will start fresh tomorrow."

David Q. Dawson knew that his partner hated putting a case aside until morning. He was quite passionate about his work and it showed through his character. He was very clever and ready for anything that came his way. There were times when he had his down points, which almost ended in their demise in one of their earlier cases. The older mouse smiled and reached for his coat. Going out would do well for the both of them.

The theatre entrance was packed with mice; most where sophisticated and the others were commoners. Dawson was enjoying his conversation with the beautiful young ladies. At any chance he could get, he would glance over at his partner. A tired look had been looming over him and it had been getting worse. His work was finally catching up to him.

A man dressed up in a fancy outfit stood at the top of the main staircase and announced that the show would be starting soon. The crowd began to move slowly towards the entrance of the theatre. The two mice found their seats quickly and sat down. The time seemed to pass very slowly and Basil's fingers tapping didn't help. Dawson put down the program and turned.

"Is there something wrong Basil?" he was quite concerned. "You seemed distracted."

"Nonsense Dawson," he smiled. "I'm as concentrated as ever!"

The lights began to fade and the noise lowered to a murmur. There were a few moments of darkness before the certain pulled away to reveal the stage. Basil took a few seconds to look around when he suddenly stopped. He thought for only a quick second that his eyes were playing a trick on him but the figure wasn't going away. Up sitting in one of the side balconies was his arch-nemesis, alive and well.

The sound of the crowd clapping was muffled back stage. A few of the dancers were quickly slipping on their dresses and tying their ballet slippers. Dominique was ready on the right side of the stage for her cue. She was actually the first dancer on the stage. She had a two minutes solo, which made her very nervous.

She heard her cue to prance on stage and she did. The crowd was dead silent and only the orchestra broke the still air. She knew the routine by heart and did it rather well. The director was in the best seat in the house and he had a huge smile on his face. The chestnut mouse stopped in the middle of the stage and bowed. Her little performance was over and immediately the seven other mice prance out.

It was an extraordinary site to behold. All the ballerina mice had white fur besides Dominique. It made her stand out. The curtain behind the dancers was pulled up to reveal a ballroom and the actors stepped out. The girls danced to the side and stood silently as the play began. A few of the younger dancers were glancing out into the crowd to see if they could point out their family. The director had firmly told them not to do it but one time wouldn't hurt. Her eyes wondered up to the balconies and her heart stopped. Starring right back at her was the one rat she hopped to never see again.

_James…_

There was a loud applause and Dominique broke eye contact. The first act of the play would be ending soon and the dancers had to do their second to last little performance. The curtain fell and everyone rushed off stage to prepare for the final act. The dancing mice were dressed each in a different color. They were supposed to represent the rainbow that would cover the stage at the end.

"Did you see all the people?" one little mouse squeaked.

"All the seats were filled!"

"I think I saw my mother," one jumped.

The girls were talking away as they dressed. The lady mouse sighed as she put on her dark dress. At the last second of rehearsals she was cast as a different dancer that would say the last words of the play. It was only one sentence but she had to sing it in perfect harmony with music. Her nerves were off the roof at this point when the curtain pulled up.

The final act had begun.

The seven little girls slowly walked on stage holding long stripes of fabric that matched their dresses. The actors were amazing as the climax of the story unfolded before the audience. The band stopped and a solo violin began to play. Dominique walked on stage and the actors reacted. Her final performance began as the music followed her movements. Her cue was coming up and she stopped in the middle of the stage. The room fell silent as she looked up.

"It was my life," she said in low harmony, "at one time."

The crowd clapped loudly as she took her final bow. She could feel her heart thumbing against her and the echo in her ear. Nothing could spoil that moment for her until she saw the empty balcony. Her face became noticeably pale but no one questioned it. The final curtain fell and the entire cast cheered. Their first performance was a complete success.

Basil stood up immediately and looked around for a quick exit. He had noticed that the figure in the balcony had left at once after the final line. His destination was unknown but the detective had figured that it had something to do with a devilish plan. Dawson loved the entire show and was still clapping along with many others.

"Dawson," he turned. "Stop this tomfoolery. We must leave."

"Why Basil, can't we stay to meet the cast?"

"There is no time!"

The foyer of the theatre was full of performers and audience members. The performers were still in their costumes and they easily be pointed out in the crowd. The two mice were weaving through the crowd. Dawson had stopped once or twice to talk to the actors and congratulate them on their success. He was pulled away numerous times by his partners.

"Dawson," he whispered. "This isn't the time. We must keep an eye out for our suspect."

Basil turned his head around and immediately spotted the suspect. He was surprised to see the rat having a private conversation with a mouse in a dark dress. His claw was firmly grasping her forearm and she seemed to be struggling against it. Basil watched closely as he slowly walked towards them, hiding behind groups of people. The girl finally pulled her arm away and began to walk away, that was her mistake.

Within seconds it seemed the entire place was filled with the rat's henchman and they were holding people hostage. The young mouse bolted for the door but was stopped and grabbed by a henchman. Basil headed towards the villain in order to stop him but he was being pursued. The scene happened so fast when suddenly everyone was in a panic. Mice were running for the exit, henchmen were grapping them but the rat and the young mouse were nowhere to be seen.


	4. Relations

_Chapter 4 – Relations_

Dominique's tears were running down her face and into the still air. She thought she would never have to see him again. Her life was going so well, it was perfect. She had a loving father and an amazing job at the theatre. James just had to ruin everything by showing his ugly rat face into her life once again.

She limbed into a patch of bushes and sat down. Her ankle was throbbing from the running in her ballerina shoes. She curled up into a small ball and hoped that everything would just float away into oblivion. She only had to hope. It was the only thing left to do.

"Basil," his partner cried. "Did you see where she went?"

"She couldn't have gone far," he thought. "She clearly had a sprained ankle."

"How do you know?"

"The way she ran out of the theatre. She was putting most of her weight on the right leg."

The area around the theatre was completely empty. The rat's presentation had cleared the area rather quickly. The detective was looking around for any signs that the mouse might have left behind. He had figured with what little information he had that somehow they were related, Ratigan and the mouse. So the girl was very important and he needed her if he was going to catch the rat.

"Basil…"

The mouse spun around and set his eyes on the dark ribbon in his partner's hand. It was a clue. The girl had headed in the direction of the waterfront. Dawson fell silent as the muffled sound of weeping could be heard. Basil seemed to be enthralled in finding the girl in the dark dress that he nearly missed her. He pushed away a few branches and saw the girl. He waved over his partner.

"Basil," he whispered. "Over here."

The two mice slowly walked over but the mouse didn't seem to notice. Her head snapped up when Dawson cleared his throat. She had the look of fright on her face yet he tried to keep calm. Her attempts to run were foiled by her sprained ankle. Dawson walked over and helped her to her feet.

"Are you alright, Miss?" he said kindly.

"I'm sure she is."

All their heads turned to see nothing though Basil thought otherwise. Suddenly the giant rat appeared from behind the bushes. He had the look of triumph on his face and the grin to match it. He stepped closer but Basil stopped him. Once again he was face to face with his mortal enemy.

"So we meet again," he yelled. "Ratigan!"

"I just want the girl," he glared in confusion. "Hand her over and no one gets hurt."

"What evil plan are you conjuring up this time?"

"Wouldn't you want to know?"

A sinister grin crossed his face as he pushed away the mouse and went for the girl. Dawson attempted to block the attack but it didn't help. Dominique's small figure was once again in the grasps of the rat. She tried to struggle or even wiggle free. The two mice had recovered and now were standing by.

"Nice try being the hero," he laughed. "But not this time."

Dominique thought otherwise. Her legs were flailing in the air and then an idea popped into her head. Even if James was a rat, he could still feel pain. With her strongest leg she kicked him in the lower stomach.

Her body immediately fell to the ground and she gave a small cry of pain. Basil immediately ran to her and helped her to her feet. The mouse had the thought of confronting his mortal enemy but the time wasn't right. His partner and he weren't prepared and the girl being there didn't help their situation.

They had run most of the way and her ankle was beginning to swell up. Dawson had informed the mouse that they were very close to their home. She just had to endure the pain for a few more minutes. The area was becoming more familiar as if she had been there before. It was more of a déjà vu.

The house was on the corner of the street. It was huge and Dominique had guessed that mice lived with humans without them knowing. It was ingenious once she thought it over. Basil hurried inside the small door that was hidden behind some hedges. No human could possible see the door from a distance. The kind mouse helped the young girl through the door and into one of the comfortable chairs in the living room.

"Do you mind if I see your ankle?" Dawson insisted.

She nodded her head. He slowly and carefully began to take off her ballerina shoes. Her ankle had swelled up a considerable amount. As the doctor cleaned up her ankle, Basil was pacing around the room and muttering to himself. He seemed to be quite distracted at the moment and it bothered the young lady. It made her very uneasy.

"We must act quickly," the detective suddenly exclaimed.

"Basil I don't think we can do anything until the girl-"

"Come now Dawson. She is going to help us."

"What?" the two said simultaneously.

"You seem to have previous relations with Ratigan," he directed the question at Dominique.

"How can you be so sure? You only saw us together for a few moments."

"One could notice a lot during that encounter."

"Do tell?" her gaze hardened.

"First off, the tone in his voice changed when he spoke to her compared to when he spoke to us. Second, he didn't try to go the polite way to lure you in. Most of all, that look he would use when he gaze at you as if you were previous lovers. "

The room fell silent as the two mice looked at her. She slowly lowered her gaze towards the fireplace. She could feel them looking at her and waiting to hear her speak. She could easily tell them about her life as a human before it all happened but she was hesitant about that. Basil became very impatient and began to smoke his pipe. He paced around the room as he waited for someone to break the silence.

"Monsieur Basil," she spoke in French to him. "C'est très compliqué."

"It's complicated?" he looked at her as if she was joking. "This whole mess is complicating if you don't help us."

"I will try."

The doctor stood up and began to make his way into the other room. A few moments later he came back into the room with a thick blanket. Basil looked down at his partner and immediately realized what he was doing. He grabbed and pulled him into the other room before the girl noticed.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I am giving the girl a blanket. You know it gets quite cold at night."

"Don't make her feel too welcome. We don't know what side she is on."

"Oh Basil," he smiled. "There is only one you."

"Just be careful. There is something about this girl, something different."

"She seems quite normal to me, Basil."

Before he could make a remark the doctor was helping the young lady. Some would say Dawson was the soft side that Basil never had or never showed. He always felt for the person they were helping instead of the villain they were trying to capture. Dawson at times was the backbone of all their successes.

Dominique sat in the large crimson chair in the living room. The room was quite dark. The embers that were lying in the hearth were the only source of light left. The room was silent besides the low ticking of the grandfather clock. Every hour it would ring and break the dead silence. It was hard for her to get any sleep at all. The night's events were just too much for her mind to handle.

The sun broke the horizon and brought light into the room. The girl sighed as she stood up to see if she could walk on her ankle. It hurt when she put too much pressure on it but she was able to walk. She slowly walked into the kitchen to meet an elderly mouse making some waffles. She was quite busy since it seemed like a millions things were happening.

Dominique slowly moved towards the table and sat down. Instantly there was a cup of tea placed in front of her. The mouse smiled and continued her busy work. Moments later, Dawson walked into the kitchen carrying the newspaper. He had a broad but sweet smile on his face when he saw the young lady.

"Up early I see," he sat down and opened up the paper.

"I had trouble sleeping."

"I can understand. With what happened last night. I am surprised you are awake at all."

She looked up and noticed the main headlines. The main story was about what happened at the theatre. A small part of it was actually about the performance but the main article was the after part. A rat playing games ruined their perfect performance. The young mouse looked away and drank her tea. She couldn't possible show her face again at the theater. It was all her fault their review was ruined.


	5. Escape and Rescue

_Chapter 5 – Escape and Rescue_

The morning was quite slow and quiet. The two older mice were busy in the kitchen keeping each other company. The young mouse decided to slowly sneak out of the kitchen and head into the living room. Basil had not yet made an appearance even though it was late in morning. She stood in the living for a few moments to think. She thought it would be best if she just left. She would be better off facing James herself than having those two mice getting hurt.

She picked up her ballerina shoes and quietly left the house without anyone knowing. The outside weather was gloomy. The entire sky was covered with grey clouds. It was hard to tell where one cloud started and the other ended. It was a blanket of gloomy grey. There weren't many people out let alone any mice. The streets were lonely and so was the young mouse.

Hours passed and she finally made it back to the theatre. The air was still from the night before and the horrid event was fresh on the steps. She slowly walked into her home and was greeted by no one. There was faint music in the background and she could tell that rehearsals were still one for that night. She opened the door to the main hall to see everyone on stage.

She slowly made her way to her room back stage. When she opened the door both her room mates were there. Wide smiles appeared on their faces as they ran towards her. They were worried about her and wondered where she disappeared to. The mouse just sat down in one of the many chairs and sighed. She really didn't want to tell the two young girls about her night or why it even happened. All she wanted to do what forget about it and move on.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she looked at the two girls.

"Why not?"

"Not right now. We best practice for tonight."

All three of them left the room and went back stage to dress up for rehearsal. It would be their second night performing their show. The reviews for the show hadn't been that great because of James' actions but she hoped that it would change tonight when a new crowd would come to see their show. Rehearsals went well. All they needed to do was wait until the curtain lifted to reveal the stage.

Dominique was in her room brushing her hair and getting ready. There was a light knock on the door and it took her a few moments to stand up. She was about to open the door when there was loud knock. She slowly opened it and James pushed himself into the room. The door slowly closed behind him and the young mouse stood in silence. She slowly began to step back as he turned around to face her.

"Good evening Dominique," he smiled. "It's so good to see you again."

"Why are you here? Didn't you have enough fun last night?" she kept her stare hard and directed at him.

"Of course I did… that is why I have come back."

"I doubt that."

"You were always a smart girl. Once again you show your worth," he laughed.

"Then why are you really here?"

"I have come to make you a deal, Dominique. I hope you will take it."

"Depends on the deal," she began to feel him closing down on her. He had something up his sleeve, something dangerous.

"You will build me another one of those machines to change us back."

The air fell still and Dominique just stared at him. There was no hint of lying in his eyes. He was being serious about building another machine. Why would he want to attempt to go back to his formal life? Didn't he like commanding an entire army of rats? The young mouse looked away and sat down. She didn't want to build that machine. She didn't want to face the horrors of going back.

"No," she said softly.

"I'm afraid you have no choice."

"I do have a choice here," she stood up. "I will not build that machine again. I don't want to go back. Why would you?"

"You will make that machine again," he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "You have no choice in the matter."

"Why do you say that?"

"Either you build the machine or you say good-bye to your father… forever."

She was dumbfounded. An invisible force had slapped her across the face. She thought she was smart enough to weasel her way out of his plan but it was impossible. He let go of her and she fell back into the chair. She was stuck. There were so many people in her life that were controlling her now. If she helped James then she would be against Basil and they could easily through her in jail. If she was against James then her only family would be killed. It was a hard choice to make.

"I see you need some time to think," he looked down at her. "I will see you after the show. Let's say, outside the theatre doors."

He left as quickly as he came and the room fell silent once again. There was a heavy pressure on the mouse's chest. She slowly got dressed and finished her make-up. She just wanted to get through the night in one peace and think it over during the gala after. The past two days of her life hadn't been the easiest and she knew it wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Once again the lobby of the theatre was full of conversation. The audience that has attended was quite pleased with the performance and they were congratulating the actors and dancers. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion, even the actors. They had time to go back stage and changed out of their costumes to proper party attire. Dominique was in a fashionable green dress and her hair was still tied up.

James was where he said he would be. Couples were leaving the theatre and didn't even notice him standing there. Dominique took a deep breath and stepped towards him. His head turned and a smile crossed his face. He seemed to be quite pleased that she had decided to come. He put out his hand for her to take it. She took a moment to look around at the other mice walking out of the theatre. Her heart stopped as her eyes landed on Basil and he was looking right at her.

"Dominique? Are you coming?"

Her head snapped around and she took his arm. She could feel the detective's eyes burning into her. She knew he had seen her with James. There was nothing she could do now. Her mind was set. They began to walk down the street together and she could tell what was going through the detective's mind. She knew she would be seeing him soon and not in a friendly way.

The room was quite dark and unclean. The only source of light was a small oil lantern sitting next to a large metal machine. Working on the machine was a small chestnut mouse. Some parts of her fur were smudged with oil and her clothes were torn at the knees and the elbows. She had been working on rebuilding the machine for a week now and she wasn't even half way done.

Dominique was having trouble finding the right parts to make the machine complete. Her father had done most of the work himself but she had been their every step of the way. She was finding it very difficult and at times she regretted ever coming here to help Jamas. She put down her wrench to take a short break when the door suddenly opened. James proudly walked through and looked down at her.

"Taking a break?" he brushed some dust of his shoulder.

"I have been working hard without rest for a day now. I need a break."

"You will not have a break until it is complete," he raised his voice.

"This was not part of our agreement."

"Tell me Dominique, my dear," he took a step closer. "Could you have lived with the fact that you were the cause of your father's death?"

The young mouse sheepishly looked down at the ground. He did have a point. If she hadn't come with him he would have harmed her father. She just wanted the machine to be complete so she could go back to living with her father and dancing at the theatre. There was always a thought in her mind. Would James force her to come back with her?

"I thought so," he laughed. "I am expecting it to be done by tomorrow evening."

"It's impossible! I don't have all the parts yet. You can't do this to me," she stood up and stepped towards him.

"You will finish it," he slapped her across the face. "Or you and your father will die."

Dominique's face burned from the sudden slap on her face. He had been treating her like that ever since she was brought there. Working long hours in the dark and hardly getting enough to eat. She slowly picked up her wrench and continued to work. Hours seemed to pass and her eyelids were becoming very heavy. She finally had enough. She curled up into a small ball and dozed off into a deep sleep.

A strong hand on her shoulder jerked her out of her rest. One of the rats was standing over her and he didn't seem too happy either. It took her a while to figure out where she was and remember everything that had happened. Before she could get her bearings straight, the rat pulled her to her feet and roughly pushed her out of the room. They weren't walking long when the rat suddenly pushed her into another room.

The lighting in that room was much better than the one she was in before. It seemed to be of a higher class as well. There were carpets on the floor, painting on the walls and classic furniture around the room. The young mouse noticed a figure sitting in one of the chairs. He looked quite old and sickly. She slowly walked over to him and noticed who he was. She panicked and rushed to his side.

"Papa," she wrapped her arms around him.

"Dominique…"

"I'm so glad you are safe," she looked at him. "You look sick. I have to help you."

"I'm fine. You just have to worry about making that machine."

"What?"

"You best listen to you father."

She slowly turned around to once again to face the rat. All her hopes of saving her father were crushed. James had won. Everything he had been dreaming for had come true and at the expense of her and her father's life. What they had built together in the mouse kingdom was slowly becoming worthless.

"What have you done to him?"

"Nothing that he couldn't have brought upon himself."

"That's a lie and you know it. He needs help."

"But first you need to help me."

"I am helping you," she yelled.

Dominique was about to snap and full out attack the rat. Her fists were clenched and her eyes were fixed upon him. Their gaze broke when the ground suddenly began to shake. At first it wasn't noticeable but now items in the room were moving. The mouse grabbed hold of the table next to her for support. It was very unusual for earthquakes to happen. It was very unusual.

James was just about to open his mouth to say something when the shaking stopped. There were a few items out of place and only some of the furniture was moved around the room. They were both looking around to see if everything was alright when it began again this time the walls were beginning to crack. The mouse screamed when one of the walls suddenly collapsed and dust flew every where.

There was no noise and the air was filled with grey smoke. The mouse began to crawl around to look for her father. The earth became to shake again but as if someone was walking around and heaving breathing could be heard. Dominique stopped moving when a figure began to walk towards her. It wasn't big enough to be James but she wondered who it could be.

"Miss? Miss, are you there?" it was Dawson.

"Right here."

She reached out and touched his forearm. It was hard to see his face with all the dust and smoke around them. She wondered how the doctor could have made it into James' hideout. He quickly grabbed her hand and began to pull her some where. She thought for a moment and then stopped.

"How did you get here? Wait, where is my father?"

"Your father? He is here too?"

"We must find him. I won't leave him behind."

Dominique let go of the doctor and began to search the area. The smoke was beginning to clear and she knew she had to hurry. James would be looking for them and it would make it easier if the smoke was gone. Her eyes were rapidly moving around the room and she finally saw her father lying on the ground. She quickly rushed over to him. He wasn't moving and it caused her to panic.

"Papa?"

She slowly knelt down beside him and touched his face. There was no reaction. His body was so still and cold. Panic grew in her voice as she tried to wake up her father. Every time she grabbed his hand it would limply fall out of her grip. Tears began to drip down her cheek and she kept trying to wake him up. Dawson came up behind her and placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.

"There you are!" Basil rushed over. "We have to leave. We don't have much time."

"I'm not leaving without my father," Dominique protested.

The mouse attempted to pick up her father but he was all dead weight. Her tears were growing as she realized her attempts were failing. She sat down in frustration. Basil looked down at her in panic as the smoke was clearing and the figures of rats were beginning to appear. They were completely surrounded by James' henchmen and there was no escape. Dawson helped the poor girl to her feet.

"There is no escape this time," James' evil voice echoed.

"That's what you this Ratigan!" Basil snorted. "Toby!"

The ground began to shake again and a large dog ran through the broken wall. Basil wrapped his arm around Dominique's waist and pulled her up onto the dog. She struggled against his grip and tried to tell him that she didn't want to leave her father behind. Dawson slowly tried to climb onto the dog as well but only managed to hold into his collar. The dog began to turn around and head out of the destroyed room. Dominique looked back with teary eyes.

"Papa!"


	6. Into Hiding

_Chapter 6 – Into Hiding_

The days had been silent. The rain came down harder than ever before. It was quiet on Baker Street. Everyone kept to themselves but it wasn't going well for the residents of 221B Baker Street. There were a lot of thoughts going through the detective's head. The events that passed the day before were still running through his mind. Dawson sat in the kitchen, enjoying his tea. There were not the only ones in the house. A young mouse was sitting in their den, silently crying.

"Basil, you must do something," he advised his partner.

"What can I do?" he glared at him.

"Comfort her. She did lose a father after all."

"Easier said than done, my old chap."

The old mouse gazed at the young detective. He wasn't very good at expressing his emotions towards others. His work was most important. Basil couldn't stand the mouse looking at him. He sighed and slowly walked into the den. The young mouse was sitting in the large velvet chair. She was wrapped in a warm blanket and holding a thick tissue in her hands. The mouse hesitated before showing himself. Her red eyes met his. It was clear she was still quite upset from the past night's events.

"Dominique," he looked at her. "Are you alright?"

"I'll manage," she whipped away a fear tears.

"Is there anything I can do? Would you like anything?"

The room fell silent and he waited for her to answer. She looked down into the fireplace. There was a roaring fire and the flames captivated her. The detective waited for a few moments before turning though he did not go far. The mouse had reached up and grabbed his hand. His head quickly turned around to look at her. There was sadness in her eyes.

"Please stay with me."

She let go of his hand and he pulled up with the other chair in the den. Dawson watched from the doorway at the kitchen as the two mice sat next to each other. After a long pause Dominique calmed down and collected herself. Basil could only sit and watch. She looked at him and gave a small smile.

"I would like to thank you, Mr. Basil."

"For what exactly?" he eyed her down.

"You have been so helpful ever since I became a mouse," she smiled. "I just thought it-"

"What did you say?" he perked up.

"You've been so helpful?" she looked at him.

"After that."

"Nothing," she looked away from him.

"You are hiding something. Something very valuable to our situation."

He slowly stood up from his seat and walked over to the velvet chair. Dominique became very uncomfortable from the mouse's gaze and she tightened her grip on the blanket that was wrapped around her. He placed his hands on either armrest and looked right into her eyes. She couldn't help but look right back. Where else was she supposed to look? There were a few moments of silence before he finally walked away. He stood up straight and waited for her to say something.

"Basil," she kept looking at the fire. "I wasn't always a mouse. It was only a few months ago that I was a human."

The detective looked at the mouse. He was usually very good a detecting if a person was lying but in this case, it wasn't easy. She held his gaze to the very end and her eyes were as clear as crystal. He sat back down and thought for a moment. This wasn't very logical what she was saying but it could happen. He was quite interested in her situation and wanted to know more.

"Please Miss LaFleur, tell me everything."

She was very surprised that he wanted to know her story. She was afraid he would think her crazy and not believe a word she was saying. She took a deep breath and told her story. He didn't say a word other than nodding and agreeing with her. It felt great to take all the stress off her shoulders. The story was over and the room fell silent. Dawson was not far away and he heard the entire thing.

"You have a very interesting life," Basil commented. "You are very valuable to Ratigan then."

"Why do you keep referring him as Ratigan. I told you his name in James."

"About a year ago, I had an enemy named Ratigan. He looks and acts the exact same way as the one you call James. I was obsessed with him for years that I automatically assumed that he had come back to haunt me."

"That's terrible. I'm sure this is the James I once knew."

"You must stay hidden, only for a few days. Dawson and I will device a plan to stop this rat before the entire Mousedom is destroyed."

Dawson stepped into the picture and offered her his room for the time being. So stay out of sight and out of the way to make sure nothing could happen to her. They were going to come up with a plan to evil that Ratigan himself would call diabolical. They were going to play the same game as their enemy.


	7. Seduction

Chapter 7 – Seduction

The streets of London were coated in fog and it gave the area an ominous feel to it. The atmosphere of the area had changed drastically in the past few weeks. Everyone seemed on edge but one soul was calmly walking alone the streets. Dominique was just strolling about, alone. She was not nervous. She never glanced over her shoulder to see who was behind her. The young mouse just kept walking forward.

The conversation she had with Basil a few evenings earlier was clear in her mind. She kept replaying the moment in her head. They had spent the night thinking up a way to figure out James' real plan and to have him confess to it. Dominique wasn't sure at times if the detective believed her story about being human. He was just going with it at this point though.

The young mouse stepped into the theatre. The last production had come to a close and they were working on the next one. The auditions for the various roles were being held now and she had to audition like every other actor and dancer. She had been spending so many late nights with Basil thinking up different plans. She was just going to improvise and hopefully she wasn't going to get a part this time.

Many of the dancers had greeted her when she came backstage. It had been a while since she had seen some of the younger dancers and they happy to see her. She missed the theatre and all the people in it. It was something that made her surprisingly happy even if it wasn't her main interest.

The dancers and actors were preparing for their few minutes in front of the director and producers. All the other mice seemed rather nervous for this moment but the brown mouse's mind was somewhere else. It was her turn and she gracefully stepped to the center of the stage. The three men were sitting in the middle of the audience and their eyes never left the young mouse as she danced along the stage.

"Thank you Dominique," said one of the men in a deep voice.

She didn't recognize the voice as one of the regular men but she relaxed and slowly stepped off stage. Her body felt quite numb as she walked back to her room. It was empty and dark. She instinctively went to the far corner to light the oil lamb. She slowly turned around to see James sitting in her chair in front of the vanity mirror. She caught her breath but didn't move.

"Good evening Dominique," he said in a calming voice. "How have you been?"

"When will you give up James?" she sighed.

"When everything is finally back to normal," he stood up and fixed his outfit. "I'm sorry about your father."

"It's quite a shame," she glared at him.

"Oh Dominique," he glided over, "you look so much better when you smile."

"Haven't had much time for smiling lately. You know with the death in the family and all."

"Well, we could always go back and everything will be fine again," he leaned against the wall.

Dominique caught on right away to what he was implying. James had nothing on her now other than promising a good life when they changed back. He didn't know what she had here. But since he was playing the seduction card, she was going to humor him a little bit. He large figure was leaning over her but his eyes were locked on hers. He always had the most beautiful blue eyes when he was a human and he luckily kept them. She stopped her thought there. What he was planning was working on her. She couldn't let him win.

"How far have you gotten with the machine?" she looked at him with a smudge look.

"Does have the smooth touch you add to it though," he leaned in closer. "Maybe you could… just for me."

James leaned even closer but she stopped him by putting her finger on his lips. She couldn't let him have all the fun at once. She slowly slipped away from under him and gave him the best smile she could make. He seemed quite pleased with himself as she gave him a wink on her way out. A sigh of great relief escaped her lips as she leaned against the door.

Her eyes wondered up to meet the gaze of one of the producer's. He was rather tall and carried most of his weight on his tummy. He wore a thick pair of glasses and a funny little bur ray to the side. He was eyeing her questioningly but she just looked at him with innocent eyes. His bright, green eyes just looked back at her as she hesitantly stepped away down the hall.

Dominique stepped into the auditorium to make her way out of the theatre. One of the younger dancers stopped her to say that she was no longer one of the minor dancers but a head one in one of the acts. She was so excited that she couldn't stay still as she told her story. The mouse just smiled and listened. Did that mean the casting sheet was already posted? She quickly stepped away and headed to the back of the stage. Low and behold, the list was up.

"I can't believe this," her shoulders fell.

She was the head dancer in the entire play. She actually had lines to recite. This was ridiculous, singing and dancing at the same time. Who could do that to one person? Let alone an entire production. She just sighed and remembered which character she was. It was going to be a long production but it would keep her busy for the time being. She would have an excuse to not help James. This production was going to be fun. She smiled deviously to herself as she walked out of the theatre.

Day had already fallen into night and luckily it wasn't raining. Summer was finally coming into full bloom but along with that were the rainy days. The young mouse walked silently through the large streets. There were fewer people walking about at night. She wondered why. Weren't the streets of London supposed to be filled with people during the summer months?

She didn't think about it anymore. It wasn't her world anymore. A small part of her longed to go back but what was the point. There were so many reasons for her to stay and be happy. But many of those reasons she would never admit to. She slowly turned around the corner where her home was. The house Anatole had first brought them was where she was staying. It was quiet. Anatole had gone on a business trip and he wouldn't be back for another few weeks. She had the place to herself.

She made her way into the house with ease. The two mice had spent a good week just cleaning the place up and moving around furniture. There wasn't much but she didn't need much. A sigh escaped her lips as she lit an oil lamp. It illuminated the room along with the figure in the living room. She turned around and her heart jumped. Dawson was sitting in her living room chair holding today's newspaper. He had seen that he had scared her and he smiled.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he stood up. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," she straightened out her dress.

"I have come to invite you to dinner," he took of his hat. "That's is, if you would like to join me?"

"That is so sweet of you," she smiled.

Dominique quickly went to the back room and changed into something more appropriate for dinner. Dawson waited patiently for her and was ready when she walked out wearing a dark red dress. It was sleeveless and cut just before her boots. She took her black coat of the hanger and walked out of the door with the dear doctor.

They didn't travel far to get to their destination. It was a fancy restaurant near the classier part of the waterfront. The young mouse had never been to this part of the mouse kingdom before. She was seeing more and more mice walking about as if they were the only beings in the world. It was great to see and be apart of it.

They entered the restaurant and were automatically seated. It was partially filled though it was still early in the evening. The two mice sat and talked about everything they had missed since their last encounter. Dominique seemed to be doing all the talking since she had a more eventful life than the older mouse. Since the case Basil was working on depended partially on her, the case had been doing quite slow and thus Dawson not having anything to do.

"How is Basil?" she snuck it into the conversation.

"He hasn't been coping well," he sighed. "He takes his work a little too seriously. I wanted him to come tonight but he said he had a previous engagement."

"Do you think he has a lead to expose James?"

"I don't know. He disappears during the day, only to come home exhausted and irritated. I don't bother talking to him anymore."

"I'm sorry," she looked down at her hands. "I am trying my best to work with James… it's just…"

"Don't worry about it, my dear," he reached over to pat her hand. "Take as long as you like. We will get through this."

The evening didn't end there. They continued their conversation into a little lighter mood as Dawson told her the story of the Ratigan case a few years ago. She listened intently and came to her own conclusions that this whole situation must be shocking for Basil. The history of these two mice went all the way back. It was quite shocking.

"Thank you for this evening," she turned to the old mouse. "It was quite refreshing."

"It was my pleasure," he kissed her hand. "You take care now."

"I will come by later this week. You know, to check up on Basil."

He nodded and turned around. Dominique watched the mouse leave and turned to her door. The light was on in the living room though she didn't remember leaving it on. She wasn't in shock when she saw James standing in her living room. Was her house that easy to break into? He turned to face her and he smiled.

"I didn't expect you to be out on a weeknight," he relaxed.

"It was unexpected. An old friend just stopped by."

"You left me so suddenly this afternoon," he slowly stepped closer. "I was hoping we could pick it up over dinner."

"I already ate. Maybe another time," she turned away. "I would love to go on a date with you, James."

"Then maybe this Friday?" he seemed pleased with himself.

He slowly crept forward. She noticed right away when his large shadow engulfed her. He leaned in for a kiss but she turned her head slightly. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. She was going to prolong any physical interaction as long as possible. He pulled away to look at her. Dominique smirked a little as she placed a small kiss on his cheek. This was his queue to leave. Before he left, he hesitated at her door before he closed it. The young mouse sighed and retreated into her bedroom, alone. The games had only just started.


	8. Fallout

_Chapter 8 – Fallout_

The week started of very slow. The production was in full swing and rehearsals were going on non-stop. The theatre was open before the sun rose and close was night awake. Dominique was keeping busy with her dance routines but her mind was never that into it. Instead, it was running through different plans and different hypothetical outcomes. Her date with James was creeping closer. When the thought entered her mind, her heart would begin to race. She wasn't going to be repaired for it. It was a time in her past that she never wanted to visit again.

Her rehearsals for the day were complete so she headed back to her room. Every day, she had found a note posted on her door from that mouse. Every day, they got more and more personal. She couldn't believe he was getting all worked up over a simple date. She knew exactly what was on his mind but he had no clue what was on hers. He would never guess either.

"I see you have a secret admirer," said a low voice. Dominique turned to see the director from the other day.

"It's just a silly note," she crumbled up the note in her hand. "Just some fascination he has with me."

"I can see the feeling is not mutual," he erased the space between them. She didn't seem to mind.

"I'm afraid not," she sighed and quickly composed herself. "I shouldn't be talking about this. It's a little personal."

"My apologizes. I didn't mean any harm."

"I'm sorry," she turned to face him. "Are you a new director? I haven't seen you before around the theatre."

"Yes," he cleared his throat. "I am Mr. Grieveman. I am a director and one of the producers. I was quite interested in the dancers that seem to catch London's attention at the moment. You being one of them."

"My goodness," she nearly gasped.

"You seemed shocked," he pointed out. "Haven't you been reading the papers?"

"I haven't had much time for anything else besides the theatre."

"Maybe you could fit a little time for dinner?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she was quite pleased he caught onto his plan.

"That is, if you don't mind."

"I think I need a little night out. It seems like a have a busy day tomorrow. Might as well enjoy the early evening out."

Dominique opened up the door to her dressing room and quickly changed into something more decent for the outdoors. While she was in the room, she thought over what had just happened. That so innocent conversation had turned into a dinner date. How could that have happened? She didn't feel uncomfortable around this man. Maybe it was the softness in his voice or the twinkle in his green eyes… Dominique stopped herself from blushing. She had only just met the gentleman. She couldn't get too ahead of herself… yet.

The young mouse slipped out of her room dressed in an elegant green dress. She didn't know what they were going to be doing, thought she assumed they were going for dinner; she dressed for a general outing. The male mouse lifted up his bent arm for her to take. She lightly placed her hand on it as they walked down the hall together.

Dominique didn't know what had come over her when she found herself walking alongside the new director. She so willingly accepted his polite invitation to dinner like they were old friends. She didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward when she walked with him or spoke o him. He had an odd presence as if she had been with him before.

They had gone to a quiet place in the middle class part of town. They were quite a few mice just sitting around talking and drinking. It was quite cozy and she liked it. It wasn't too formal so she didn't have to worry about her table manners in front of her companion. They sat down at a couple table and the waitress was with them in seconds. She didn't know what to order so she waited for him to do so. Within those few moments, she had a chance to really look around at the place. It seemed she was the only dressed to impress. All the mice were in casual clothes and just having fun. Her eyes immediately wondered to the small dance floor that was off to the side. The music was quite upbeat compared to her usual classic music back at the theatre.

"So Miss Dominique," he put down his glass. "How long have you been dancing?"

"As long as I can remember," she looked down. "I haven't dance in years though."

"Why is that if you don't mind be asking?"

"Well, once my mother passed away I started to help my father with his experiments. He was a scientist. My mother used to help him."

"Your father was a scientist?" he seemed really interested in the topic.

"As long as I can remember… he spent hours in the shed in the back of the hour working on everything and anything to improve our lifestyle."

"Did you know what you were doing?"

"Most of the time yes," she smirked to herself. "I would sneak science and math notes from my school us to learn more just to help my father. After a while the school caught me. I was going to be expelled by my father stepped in. Then, next thing I know, I was off to Paris to the Science and Engineering University."

"They accepted you?" he was quite shocked.

"Only on the basic that I was my father's daughter and that I showed potential."

"And that is why you haven't danced in a while," he smiled.

"Long story short… yes," she giggled.

Their food came shortly after the conversation ended. She simply ordered some ship and chips. She had been in London for more than half a year and she had yet to have their traditional dish. Fish was a cat meal in the mouse kingdom but she loved fish when she was human. A thought passed through her mind. The longer she stayed in the mouse kingdom, did that mean the more of a mouse she would become.

She was glad that her appetite fro fish had not been tainted. She slowly ate it to savor the taste. She didn't know when she was going to have fish again, if ever. The entire time, Mr. Grieveman was looking at her. It wasn't one of those awkward stares. It seemed he was trying to figure her out. She pretended she didn't mind though it was causing tightness in her stomach.

Their meal was done and Dominique looked up at the mouse sitting across from her. Every time she looked into his green eyes, she was lost in them. He cleared his throat before looking over at her. She broke eye contact to look at the glass of red wine that was in front of her, untouched.

"Mr. Grieveman, what brought you to London?" she smiled.

"A few things actually," he sipped his wine. "My love of the theatre was the first… I am also looking for an old friend."

"You came to here for that," she tried not to make a face.

"It has been a while since we've last say each other. Our reunion is long since due… but it seems to get interrupted every time we have a chance."

"That sounds awful."

"Let's not worry about my dilemma. I am sure the chance will come around."

"I wish you luck with that," she smiled.

He put down his finished glass of wine and slowly stepped out of his chair. The lady mouse wasn't surprised about this but she was surprised when he put out his hand to her. Had he seeing her eyeing the dance floor from the eye of his eye? She secretly wanted to go dance but she never would if he asked her. Taking in a deep breath, she stood up and took his hand.

"Are you nervous?" he asked in a low voice.

"No," she immediately snapped back.

"Then put a smile on your face."

They walked onto the dance. There were a few other couples already enjoying themselves to the graceful music. Dominique's eyes were locked onto the eyes of her partner. He took her hand and his free one was placed ever so lightly on her waist. Her fat became hot for a moment. Luckily the fur was keeping her from showing her embarrassment.

He was quite the dancer. The lady mouse was quite impressed. He was quite the hefty mouse but he carried his weight has if it were nothing at all. The only other man she danced with was her father and he had two left feet. Well there was another but she's rather not think about him at the moment. She faltered in her steps as the thought crossed her mind and her partner seemed to notice.

"Is something wrong?" he leaned in closer to listen.

"No," she breathed. He was rather close. "I was just thinking."

"Not about dancing, I'm sure."

"No," she half-heartedly laughed.

The music stopped and the couple soon returned to their seats. It was getting late so they got their coats and departed. This time, instead of walking through the underground they walked to the surface. There weren't many people outside so they were safe to walk though they stayed close to the side of the buildings. They were walking in the greatest part of London. There were pieces of garbage all around and the smell was too much. Mr. Grieveman was going to pull her back underground when I paper on the street caught her attention.

Dominique slowly walked over to the few pages of the newspaper. On the front page of one of the sections was a picture of her and her father. She read the caption under the black and white photo and nearly stopped breathing. People back in the human world had actually noticed their disappearance. She wanted to read the rest of the article but it was wet.

The male mouse and joined her at her side. He was quite curious as to what she was looking at. His eyes locked onto the image, deep in concentration. The lady mouse turned her head to face him. He immediately was brought out of his thoughts when she touched his arm. Her face was emotionless. He wanted to ask so many questions to why she stopped but her face said no.

"I would like to go home," she said in a low voice. "I mean back to the theatre tonight."

He nodded in agreement and they walked away. The young mouse didn't know she was holding onto her companion's forearm until they had reached the theatre. He didn't seem to notice either. She wanted to go back and practice a bit to clear her head. She faced him as she slowly opened the door to the theatre. Her breath stopped short when she saw those or so familiar green eyes.

"Thank you very much for the wonderful evening, Mr. Grieveman," she sighed.

"It was my pleasure. Will you be alright?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

Before she turned to step into the theatre, she kissed him ever so lightly on the cheek. The thought never crossed her mind why. She just did it. The mouse was shocked as he watched the lady mouse disappear into the theatre. He couldn't believe he had let that happen. He was growing soft but he didn't have time to reflect. He had some investigating to do.


	9. Fulfillment

Chapter 9 – Fulfillment

The fire crackled ever so lightly in the hearth as Basil sat quietly in his crimson chair. His living room was filled with papers, notes and a few other pieces of the puzzle. He hadn't moved for a few hours now and his partner was beginning to worry about him. Basil only moved to sigh and slouched in the chair. Dawson tiptoed through the maze of papers and into the free chair opposite the detective.

"This doesn't make sense," he said in a low voice. "It's literally impossible."

"Well, this means her story is true," Dawson looked innocently at his friend.

"But it's impossible," he sounded frustrated.

"Basil," he took of glasses. "Maybe you should go talk to her?"

"No," he hesitated. "Fine… tonight.

He sat in the comfortable chair for a while before even contemplating standing up. His thoughts were all over the place, from this case to the other night. He slowly shook his head to remove the thoughts from his mind. His movements were slower than usual as he made his way up the stairs and down. It seems he was prolonging the meeting with the young mouse. Dawson didn't dare ask about his behavior.

"Do not wait up for me, Dawson," he sighed.

"Good luck, Basil," he looked up from his paper.

He took the salutation to heart. He would need all the luck he could get. A case like this would never bother him like this. He never met a person like that lady mouse. Yes he could agree that she was different. Her actions and responses were different than the average mouse but he would never accept that she was from another world, another species.

Every thought in his mind vanished when he looked at the theatre. The title for the next play was up along with the release date. A few mice were leaving the building. They were a few of the dancers, a few of the young ones. Rehearsals might be over at this point and that meant Dominique was in her dressing room getting ready for the evening.

He stepped into the theatre and headed backstage. He knew the building quite well since he had spent little while helping out with the production. It was the perfect way to get information on the lady mouse but that was a complete failure. Instead of getting information, he got useless information through fraternizing. He couldn't bring himself to forgive his actions. He was getting rusty.

The back of the theatre was quite empty. Basil stood outside of Dominique's room. He couldn't hear anything beyond the door. Maybe she was already gone. Or maybe she was never here in the first place. He took the chance and knocked ever so lightly on the door. Silence. He opened the door to met darkness. She wasn't even here. This little meeting was a waste of time.

He closed the door and slowly mad his way to the entrance. He stopped dead when he saw the lady mouse in the lobby of the theatre. She was off in her own world. Her eyes locked onto the floor. He was about to step forward when a figure walked to meet her. He wrapped one of his large arms around him as he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Basil watched in horror. It was his mortal enemy. The villain of the case he was trying to solve. Standing right in front of him with the lady mouse, the same mouse that seemed to have some feelings for him. His fists were clenched as he walked away.

"How are you this evening?" James kissed her on the cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Please James," she stiffened. "Not in public."

"A little shy, are we?" he laughed to himself. "Let's hope it doesn't carry later on."

Dominique forced a smile. She hoped it wouldn't go that far. Earlier on in the week, James had said that he had a surprise for her. A million situations popped into her mind. A surprise could mean anything in James' head. She tried to force the thought from her head as they walked out of the theatre together. James acted like a true gentleman and offered his arm for her to hold. She took it unwillingly.

"Where are we going?" she kept looking forward.

"The best restaurant in town," he grinned. "There's fine dining and dancing. Very high class."

"Sounds like fun," she forced a smile.

James seemed pleased with himself. She was trying very hard to keep up the charade of being nice. Every moment she spent with him, a pain grew in her stomach. Being with him felt wrong. Holding on to his arm felt uncomfortable. A week or two ago it was fine but she changed since then. Her mind wonder but she immediately stopped herself. She couldn't do that, at least not around James.

They walked together into the restaurant. The waitress greeted them ever so politely. The two mice were seated and the never-ending night began. James ordered a few drinks but he was the one that mainly consumed them. Dominique tried not to reframe from small talk. She didn't want this to last any longer than it should. She put down her fork and looked at her companion.

"Will you please excuse me?"

He nodded and she quickly stood up. She tried to keep her pace normal as she made her way to the back of the restaurant. She didn't even go to the lady's room to freshen up. She stood in the darkness and thought. She didn't think she was going to make it through the night. It was too much. Feelings that were long since burred and forgotten were bubbling back up. She had burred them for a reason.

"Dominique…"

Her head snapped around to see Basil standing next to the men's room door. This was the last place she could imagine seeing him. What was he doing here? Had he seen her with James? Had he come to confront her? She calmed down and looked at him. It had been a while since she had seen him but he hadn't changed. He stepped a little closer to make sure no one else could hear their conversation.

"What are you doing here Basil?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he frowned.

"It's just a dinner date," she steadied her voice. "It's only professional."

"Just keep telling yourself that."

"Basil," she stepped right up to him. "I have been working my hardest for him to trust me… even if it meant going outside my comfort zone. What have you been doing?"

"Looking for information," he was aware of their closeness.

"I hope that information did you good," she seemed a little upset.

"It has helped looking for the real culprit," he eyed her down.

"Basil," he could see the sadness in her eyes. "Just stay away. This isn't your problem anymore."

Before he could say anything, she turned around and walked back to her table. He watched as she sat down with her companion. They made small talk and they quickly left the table. She had turned her head several times in his direction as she walked to the front of the restaurant. He wasn't going to follow but the look in her eyes made his feet carry him out into the cold night.

James was insisting on hurry back to his place. The weather didn't look promising and his place was closer. The rain began to pour down as stepped into his house. The room was quite dark even when he lit the lamb. She awkwardly stood in the entrance and waited for James to say anything. He turned around and smiled at her. He could read her so easily and it was embarrassing. He walked over and helped her take off her coat.

"I shouldn't stay long," she nearly whispered. "I have rehearsal in the morning."

"Don't be silly," he cooed.

"The production opens up next week," she tried to keep on track.

"You shouldn't worry about things like that."

She had noticed he placed both his hands on her waist. Her face was burning with both embarrassment and being uncomfortable. He leaned in close for a kiss but she slipped away just in time, acting all innocent. She placed her hands behind her back and she innocently walked into his living room. She looked around the room, at all the little trinkets on the shelves and pictures. None of them were his of course. It was clear from the pictures that he had taken it. He most likely hurt the people that were living here. It was his safe place, just to say he had one.

"You have a lot of nice things," she ignored the fact that they weren't his.

She slowly turned around to await his response. Her heart skipped a beat, as James was right behind her. She had nowhere to run at this point. She was in his territory and he had her trapped. He pulled her close and he looked into her eyes. His stare wasn't angry or sincere. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"I have waited too long," he whispered in her ear. "Why did we break it off?"

"What?" she was shocked.

"I've always wanted you… only you."

"James," she tried to push him away. "Please."

"We are going to go back and we are going to be together," he pulled her even closer.

"What? How?"

He slowly stepped away from her. She was waiting for the inevitable. He reached out and grabbed her hand and began to pull her into the back room. Her heart was beating so loud that she couldn't hear anything else. The pressure on her wrist was released and she waited for him to say something. The lights suddenly turned on and she gasped. Right in front of her was the very machine that had brought her into this situation.

"Is that…" she couldn't finish her sentence.

"Yes," he looked at her. "Tonight we are going back. All of this will be a memory."

"James…" she breathed.

"Let's go home," he walked over to the machine and pressed the button to start.

"James… no…"

Dominique ran to his side and tried to stop him but it was already to late. The machine was now heating up. The fate was now set. In fifteen minutes they were going to be human again and nothing was going to stop them. James turned around to see the horror in her face. She didn't want to go back. He closed the distance between them but stopped. The ground was shaking and the machine wasn't causing it. Dominique swallowed hard. She knew what it was.

She braced herself and the world around her crumbled. A few moments later she pushed the rubble away from her and stood up. She was starring right into the face of a dog. The presence of the dog only meant the presence of someone else. She pressed her back to the wall and waited for someone to make a move. It happened quicker than she thought. Basil stepped through the rubble to meet her.

"What are you doing here?" she looked at him.

"The case is solved."

"There was never a case Basil," she nearly screamed. "He's not who you think he is. There is nothing here."

"That's right."

Both there heads snapped to see James standing only a few paces away from them, holding a gun. They both froze where they stood. The minutes were counting down. Dominique could hear them in her head. Her head slowly turned to look at Basil. He was caught up in this whole mess thinking it was a long forgotten case. It was just at the wrong place as the wrong time. He didn't even bother to look at her. His eyes were locked onto the mouse is front of him. The lady mouse's heart was racing. She couldn't keep her breathing calm. She had to stop him from ruining his life again.

"James," she breathed.

She stumbled forward and placed her lips ever lightly onto his. She couldn't believe what she was doing but it certainly was working. He had lost all control of his body. His knees were limb and he dropped the gun in his hand. She took the opportunity and pushed him away. He fell over and was in a state of shock. She picked up the gun and through it away.

"This ends tonight," she yelled.

Her feet brought her next to the machine and her fingers danced over it. If he had created it exactly the way she had designed it then there was a way to destroy it. The machine stopped vibrating and a light began to flash. It was time. She looked back at James only to see that he was still on the floor. She turned around and ran. Her hand reached out and grabbed Basil's arm. If he had being paying any attention to the sense he would have already ran away.

"What are you doing?" he yelled at her.

"I am saving your life."

They were across the street when the explosion finally happened. It wasn't much for any human passing to notice but if the two mice were anywhere near there, they would have been dead. Dominique was catching her breath when she felt Basil's presence beside her. She stood up straight and look right into his eyes. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she sighed. They didn't need to talk or maybe they didn't feel like it. They walked silently back to his house.

"Basil, it that you?" Dawson heard the door open.

"I'm home Dawson."

The elderly mouse made his way to the front door to see the two mice and in terrible condition too. He was about to open his mouse when the detective put up his hand to stop him. He understood immediately and gave a little wave to the lady before retiring upstairs. The two mice walked into the paper filled living room and sat down. Dominique looked at the floor. All the papers were related to her. She bent down to pick up one.

"You did your research didn't you, Mr. Grieveman," she smirked and handed him the paper.

"How did you know?" he took the paper and looked down at the picture of a human girl.

"I added all the pieces together," she sat down. "It was that hard."

Basil looked harder at the picture in front of him. There was one thing that bothered him as he looked at him. The picture has perfect lighting yet the eyes were two different tones. He immediately looked up at the mouse sitting in front of him. She was looking right at him, with different colored eyes. So it was true. Her entire story wasn't just some made up fantasy to distract him from his case. What case? At this point he believed it wasn't anything close to a case.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I don't know why I didn't see it before."

"See what?" she looked at him curiously.

"Your story. The entire time you were telling the truth. I got mixed up in this mess because I couldn't let it go."

"It's alright," she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "We don't have to worry about James anymore."

"Well, at least not until my next case comes around," he smirked to himself.

"Thank you," she leaned in and softly kissed him.

His entire body stiffened for just a moment before it relaxed. She pulled back and pulled her hand away. He looked at her. For the first time, he could see her for who she really was and not just a piece to this huge puzzle. She had helped him try to solve the case and he had completely ignored her. It was only when he wasn't being himself that he saw. His eyes were sincere when he reached out and took her hand. Nothing could ruin this moment until there was a loud knock on the door.

The two mice immediately stood up. They looked in the direction of the door. Dawson had gotten up and rushed down the stairs. He had quickly glanced into the living and saw the two holding hands before he opened the door. The authorities were standing in the doorway. All the mice looked confused as the police greeted them on that fine evening.

"Are you Detective Basil?" he looked down at the elderly mouse.

"No, I am his partner," he flung his head backwards. "That is Basil."

"What can I do for you, Officer?" he ran up and shook his hand. "What mystery have you brought me this time?"

"A murder," he said grimly. "An explosion in the upper class section, a highly thought of professor."

The officer handed the folder full of pictures and noted to the detective. He immediately opened it up to see the picture of James. He looked up at the officer and dismissed him. The mouse said his salutations and closed the door. Basil spun around and handed the folder to his lady friend. He had an amused look on his face.

"Should I investigate?" he said dramatically.

"Since when does my opinion count?" she opened up the folder and her eyes shot back to him. "What do you think?"

"A mystery that can never be solved," he took back the folder.

"Oh can the great Basil of Baker street, most well known mouse detective, own up to not solving one case?" she followed him into the living room.

"I think on this rare occasion," he threw the folder into the fire, "yes."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone that supported this fan fiction. I thank all the loyal readers and reviewers. I hope to see you in the future and happy reading.


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